Tuesday, June 18, 2013

I Will If I Wanna

And you won't believe what I want to make. Let me show you the engraving.

Yes, engraving. Because you know how I am.

Gentleman's Bathing Drawers, as offered by Weldon's Practical Knitter in the 1880s/1890s.

You may well ask what I'm going to need these for. For bathing, silly. Specifically for bathing on the "Nautical Knitting" cruise with Melissa Leapman aboard the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas in December. We leave from Ft. Lauderdale, and stop in Belize and Cozumel. There will be lots of water in between.

You can't very well go to the Caribbean in December on a boat with ten swimming pools and not have a pair of bathing drawers.

I've had little fond silent dreams of knitting my own swimming costume since the first time I saw one. I think it was in Rutt's A History of Hand Knitting. Or maybe not.

I haven't said much about that particular fond silent dream because people don't take it too well when you say you plan to knit something and then wear it into the water. They don't give you the ol' thumbs up and shout, "Godspeed, you crazy bastard!"

They act, instead, as though you've just announced that you intend to row across the Atlantic Ocean in a teaspoon, or shoot an apple off the cat's head with a BB gun, or watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians un-ironically.

It will itch! they cry.

It will sag! they cry.

You will look stupid! they cry.

You will waste time! they especially cry.

Allow me to address these questions one at a time.

1. I know.

2. I know.

3. Have you seen me?

4. I'm a man who knits lace shawls. Tell me more about this "wasting time."

I'm going to knit them because I wanna see what they're like. If they're terrible to wear, I want to know that for myself. I want to put myself into not the shoes, but the drawers, of a man of the 1890s who didn't have the luxury of going to Mister Fred's Sassy Swimwear and Video Salon on Halsted Street and picking up lycra shorts in a retro palm print. I expect to learn something–both about history and about garment construction–and if that's wasting time, well, that's how I most love to waste my time.

Will I regret it? Possibly. Especially since Melissa is insisting that she be allowed to photograph me modeling them for the knitters on the cruise.

So yeah, I may regret that; but you may regret it more.

We'll see.

Meanwhile, Mittens

The new Knitty is up (First Fall 2012) and for the first time, my "Stitches in Time" column features a new pattern instead of a translated antique or vintage pattern. It's for mittens, but the mittens do have one historical tie–the use of nineteenth century French embroidery charts to create the floral motifs on the hand and thumb gussets.

Because I am so very, very tired of winter gear with snowflakes on it. Florals in spring are a cliché. Florals in February, less so.

The yarn is Zitron Lifestyle from Skacel. I seem to have become slightly obsessed with it. I used it for these, for all the demonstration pieces in my "Heirloom Lace Edgings" Craftsy class, for this new design...

I am always in favor of anyone who wishes to add to the sum total of absurdity in the world, and I think that your knitted swimsuit idea definitely qualifies. Just remember to bring a backup swimsuit :P

To use web lingo: This is relevant to my interests. I have been wanting to do this myself for quite sometime just to try it out but haven't found time for it. I will find it very interesting to know how your experience with woolly swimwear will be. Please do this and tell us everything! :)I mean, there are quite a LOT of patterns for both men and women woolly swim wear from quite a wide period in time so obviously they made do some how. It can't have been too horrible(or at least manageble), even if it can't compare to today´s lycras.

I made my own knickers once (and I'm English, and I trust you are bi-lingual. I mean KNICKERS). It went horribly, horribly wrong. I'm only saying.I trust you will be smoking a pipe and standing with your hands welded permanently and confidently to your hips while wearing your bathers?

I am sure Melissa will share photographs with the world. We shall bribe her if necessary. However I know you can do it and make it work. I love the mittens. And as always, love reading your blog and articles. Always look forward to your posts and words of wit and wisdom.

While it's not something I could do for myself (I'm a lady who requires swimsuits with a good deal of support and structure), I don't think it's all that crazy - especially given the advent of yarns like Cascade Fixation. Also, I imagine that knit swim trunks are like knit purses and that a lining will cover a multitude of sins. Shine on you knitting diamond!

Those drawers look as though they might ride a little high on the leg. I am also interested in what yarn you will choose. You definitely do not want anything with drape lest you display more anatomical detail than you desire. I, too, will be following this project with interest.

At the very least, those drawers will remind us all how lucky we are to live in an age of artificial fabrics. It's not something I say very often, but plastic clothes have their place, and the swimming pool is one of them.

In truth, I am less concerned about the sagging and itchiness than I am about those high-cut leg-holes.

I made my husband three pairs of knitted underwear (specifically, tidy-whities, of my own design) and he loves them! He loves the feel of the sport-weight Egyptian cotton I used, and they have held up remarkably well. Better, in fact, than his Fruit of the Looms!

Those are surprisingly skimpy for the period, I am genuinely surprised, I didn't think in the Weldon's period they'd got much beyond sleeveless even for men. I think if I ever knit a bathing costume it will be a full on Victorian virtually covered from head to toe number, with skirts. I may need life guard assistance really fast.Happy knitting!

Mercy, it looks like it's completely open on the side, tied at the waist and buttoned on the hip! Perhaps this was intended for wearing in one of those Victorian brothels (did they have bathing pools?)

When I was in boarding school - more decades ago than we will discuss - a required item was 1 black wool bathing costume. It sagged and bagged and itched like crazy when submersed in sea water. May you have a more enjoyable experience.

Hey, if I knit a thong (twice) as a gag gift for bridal showers, then I think there is nothing wrong with knitting bathing drawers. You are going in eyes open, and worst comes to worst it is as hideous as people tend to say it is. At best, maybe you'll open up a new class of items to make (because the world obviously needs intarsia or cabled men's swim trunks).

While I assume you're going to go historically accurate with the yarn choice, having knit several (women's) suits myself, Cascade Fixation makes for very viable swimwear as it's a cotton/elastic blend and will stay on in the water. You know, in case you wanted to wear them more than once. ;)

Oh honey. Those drawers are really...something. When I read the headline, before the picture loaded, I thought you were going to make something like this: http://www.vintagepurls.co.nz/Downloads/ViyellaKnittingBk3BathingCostume.pdf

Someone actually pinned a man's knitted suit from like the 30's or 40's, with a cute caption about his wife was a knitter. It was in one of the books from that time. I actually got to wear a suit from the 1900's. The only thing was it had a tendency to stretch, and when it started to dry it itched, but it was fun to wear. I wish I had been allowed to own it but the owner wanted to keep it, this was in the 60's, and I loved old things like that. The other thing was it really needed some kind of lining. So for men's briefs there is that suggestion.

My mother used to knit swimming trunks for my father in the 30's and 40's; her pattern was more like a pair of shorts, and had belt loops to incorporate a belt of some sort, to hold the trunks up.Otherwise they might fall down when they get wet.

I think when they say bathing drawers, they mean to take a bath in - bathing at that time was done in the middle of a room many times in a tin type of "tub" and by wearing bathing drawers you could protect those around you from too much detail but still take a bath. It will be quite interesting to see if they work for swimming.

Oh my gosh, that link is awesome! I love the pic of the...um....full-figured?...gentleman in Jersey from 1893. I think his bathing drawers are almost the same size as the ones from Weldons (though a trifle less high-cut on the leg). And Franklin - bless you for being willing to try making those drawers! I can't wait to see the pictures!

Years ago I saw the film "The Hairdresser's Husband." It popped to mind immediately when I read your post as the poor boy had to wear a hand-knit suit with pom-pons no less! I'm not expressing an opinion about your hand-knit suit, just what the boy said about his. Good luck!

And I had the same thought as =Tamar. I assumed these were for wearing under the wool swimsuit that covered the man from neck to knee. Or could they be used when one was actually taking a bath to preserve modesty?

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